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Editorial

Error can’t be erased

Running-mate blunder shows FitzGerald not fit for prime time

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Wednesday December 11, 2013 5:40 AM

Though state Sen. Eric Kearney has withdrawn from the ticket as running mate for Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Ed FitzGerald, the damage has been done.

FitzGerald’s choice of Kearney — who has an unpaid state and federal tax bill approaching $1 million — was stunningly ill-considered, and speaks volumes about the judgment and competence of FitzGerald, who wants voters to believe he is qualified to be governor of Ohio.

Whether he considered Kearney’s tax problem insignificant — which means he is naïve — or whether he thought his political base would vote for him regardless — meaning he is cynical and arrogant — choosing a man so mired in tax debt shows that FitzGerald is unsuited for governorship.

Soon after Kearney was announced as FitzGerald’s choice last month, newspapers around the state — including the Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Dispatch — reported that Kearney and his wife owed about $825,000 in state and federal taxes. Kearney’s attempts to distance himself from the issue were lame and unconvincing. FitzGerald acknowledged that he knew about the problem when he picked Kearney, which he certainly should have, since questions about unpaid taxes are a standard part of the political vetting process.

Within the past week, The Plain Dealer and Enquirer have called for Kearney to quit the race, saying the tax issue is too large and damaging to ignore. These calls were especially significant as they come from the hometown papers of FitzGerald and Kearney.

On the national bad-publicity front, The Washington Post jumped into the story, suggesting that FitzGerald’s choice of Kearney was the “worst rollout of the year” in politics. Quite a distinction for a man who says he’s ready to be governor.

Ohioans who work hard to make a living and pay their obligations are not inclined to brush off such a large tax debt. And the choice of Kearney was especially odd because Democratic partisans have been hammering Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges for an IRS tax debt that he, like Kearney, has been paying down. Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern has been particularly venomous, calling Borges a “deadbeat” and saying he has “no credibility to discuss taxes.” If that’s right, then Kearney is equally unqualified, even as a state senator, never mind as lieutenant governor.

And even if the Democratic Party’s base is inclined to forgive, surely it can connect the dots and see that failure to meet one’s tax obligations runs counter to everything Democrats claim to stand for. When a person such as Kearney isn’t paying his “fair share,” including payroll taxes, that’s money that is being denied to entitlement programs that Democrats hold sacred, such as Social Security and unemployment benefits.

The economy and taxes remain top issues in Ohio and have been the centerpiece of FitzGerald’s campaign against Gov. John Kasich. How he could conclude that adding Kearney to the ticket would help, rather than harm the campaign, should raise questions in every voter’s mind.

And not just about FitzGerald’s judgment, but also about the collective wisdom of his campaign team. Reckless advice to a gubernatorial candidate damages only the candidate and his campaign. Reckless advice given to a governor could damage the entire state.

Kearney may be gone, but this glaring evidence of FitzGerald’s incompetence remains.